Oceans Together

Sydney based South African saxophonist Mark Ginsburg and pianist Ryan Grogan's new release Oceans Together presents a suite of evocative, uplifting, and sometimes haunting compositions. The project reflects on various sources of inspiration including heritage, lands of origin, and a focus on intimacy.

The performances of Ginsburg and Grogan, along with bassist Brett Hirst and percussionist Fabian Hevia are beautifully captured by Phil Punch of Electric Avenue Studios, complimenting the sensibility of the music. The title, Oceans Together, reflects the varied shores, musical influences, and social landscapes of the musicians.

Each of these players has a rich background containing significant individual accomplishments, as well as a history of working together at different times over a few decades. The sound is very exposed - you can hear each note of every instrument - sonically there are no heavy drum sounds that compete with other instrument frequencies - the hand percussion is gentle, effective, and subtle.

The project began at the outset of covid with Ryan and Mark collaborating remotely during lockdown. As time progressed and the character of the music emerged, the desire grew to record together live, rather than over the wires. It took two years to achieve that goal.

The distinctive nature of the repertoire is one of delicacy, with beautiful and sometimes haunting melodic lines that embrace a certain vulnerability. The decision to use hand percussion, instead of the more usual format of a drum kit, propelled the composers further in this direction, adding to the sense of intimacy and space in the music.

The result is a collection of contemplative, accessible, and gentle musical experiences, with surprises that honor the importance of melody and harmony.